Osasuna will be looking to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they continue their 2020-21 campaign at home to Levante this weekend.
Jagoba Arrasate's side will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 defeat at Getafe, while Levante have played just once in the league this season, suffering a 4-2 loss at Valencia on the opening weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
After two seasons in the second tier, Osasuna finished 10th in La Liga last season and were ultimately just four points off the Europa League spots during an impressive top-flight campaign.
Arrasate's side made a positive start to their 2020-21 season, recording a 2-0 victory at Cadiz on the opening weekend courtesy of goals from Adrian Lopez and Ruben Garcia.
Osasuna could not build on the victory over the newly-promoted side, though, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Getafe last time out, meaning that they will be determined to bounce back on Sunday.
Los Rojillos, who are currently sixth in La Liga, recorded a 2-0 victory in the corresponding match between the two teams last season, but Levante have been victorious in two of their last four top-flight encounters.
© Reuters
Levante, as mentioned, suffered a 4-2 defeat at Valencia in their season opener on September 13; Paco Lopez's side actually led 2-1 at the Mestalla late in the first period but were on the wrong end of the final scoreline.
The Frogs finished 12th in Spain's top flight last term, which actually represented their highest placing at this level of football since 2013-14.
There has been a lot of movement at the club this summer in terms of incomings and outgoings, and they have spent transfer fees on Real Madrid pair Jorge de Frutos and Dani Gomez.
The need for a positive result against Osasuna on Sunday is perhaps strengthened by the fact that their next two league fixtures after this one are against Sevilla and Real Madrid.
Osasuna La Liga form: WL
Levante La Liga form: L
Team News
© Reuters
A serious knee injury for Chimy Avila is likely rule the Osasuna striker out for the majority of the season, while Darko Brasanac is also expected to miss out for the hosts with a shoulder problem.
Aridane Hernandez and Jorge Herrando are also likely to be absent until next month, but new signing Lucas Torro is pushing for a start, having appeared off the bench against Cadiz and Getafe.
Nacho Vidal and Marc Cardona are also options for change, although Adrian and Ruben Garcia should continue their partnership in the final third of the field.
As for Levante, Pablo Martinez and Ruben Rochina are both doubts for the visitors, while Ivan Lopez remains on the sidelines with a knee problem.
The XI is expected to have a similar look to the one that started on the opening weekend of the season, with Jose Luis Morales being joined by Sergio Leon and Enis Bardhi in a forward area.
Dani Gomez and De Frutos, who both arrived from Real Madrid this summer, came off the bench against Valencia and are likely to be among the substitutes once again.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Roncaglia, Navas, D Garcia, Cruz; Torres, Oier, Moncayola, Perez; Adrian, R Garcia
Levante possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Miramon, Duarte, Rober, Clerc; Campana, Radoja, Melero, Bardhi; Leon, Morales
We say: Osasuna 2-1 Levante
Both teams will feel that they can cause issues in the final third of the field, and it should be an interesting match in Pamplona. We are not predicting too many goals at Estadio El Sadar but expect Osasuna to shade a tight match, moving onto six points in the table as a result.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Osasuna win with a probability of 49.35%. A win for Levante had a probability of 25.33% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Osasuna win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.54%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.4%) and 2-0 (9.01%). The likeliest Levante win was 0-1 (7.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.03%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.2% likelihood.
